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Casilla says he's ready to come off disabled list

Casilla says he's ready to come off disabled list

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Casilla's knee injury 1:02

5/8/13: Santiago Casilla is forced to exit the game in the eighth inning after suffering a right-knee injury

By Andrew Owens
/
MLB.com |

SAN FRANCISCO -- Giants reliever Santiago Casilla told reporters before Wednesday's game that he feels good and that he expects to be able to come off the disabled list Thursday when the club visits the Padres.

Casilla, who has not pitched for San Francisco since May 20 due to surgery that removed a cyst from his right knee, has pitched in five rehab appearances with Class A San Jose. Casilla pitched on back-to-back days Sunday and Monday in San Jose, which represented the last hurdle for him to jump before rejoining the Giants.

"We'll talk about [Casilla's status] after the game, but we think he'll be ready to go," said manager Bruce Bochy, who added that Casilla will likely fly with the team to San Diego after Wednesday's game.

Casilla's presence has been greatly missed in the back end of the San Francisco bullpen. The Giants have struggled to find a right-handed setup man to complement Jeremy Affeldt's ability to get left-handers out. Affeldt has assumed much of Casilla's eighth-inning work and has struggled in recent weeks. On Tuesday, he walked two batters and surrendered three runs in one-third of an inning. He has recorded more walks and hit batsmen (20) than strikeouts (19) in 2013.

"We're giving up more runs than we're scoring right now and I'm a big part of it," Affeldt said after Tuesday's loss. "It stinks, to be honest. I really stink."

Casilla owns a 1.89 ERA in 21 outings this season.

Andrew Owens is an associate reporter for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @OwensAndrew. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.